Resident Evil Legends Part Seven: Aftermath

By Andreas Leachim

Based on the Resident Evil video game series by Capcom. Raccoon City is no more, having been destroyed by a nuclear missile. The rest of the world is shocked and horrified to learn about the deadly infection that took place there, and the survivors -- Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveira, Claire Redfield, Leon Kennedy, Sherry Birkin, Ada Wong, and Hunk -- now must decide what to do with the rest of their lives in the aftermath of the tragedy. But the destruction of Raccoon City is not the end, and there are still mysteries and secrets to be revealed. Umbrella begins their investigation to discover who is responsible for the outbreak, just as rival companies seek to take advantage of Umbrella's involvement in the disaster, and various agencies try to hire survivors such as Leon and Jill because of their experience. Meanwhile, Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers are far away from Raccoon City, on their own personal missions. And still controlling events behind the scenes is none other than Albert Wesker, pursuing his own ambitious goals. What he discovers about the T-virus will change the world forever ...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andreas Leachim
• Release date: Dec 18, 2016

Andreas Leachim

Andreas Leachim is seven feet tall and has six fingers on each hand. He speaks 22 languages. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and the Cy Young Award all in the same year. He once climbed Mount Everest while juggling a pair of flaming chainsaws. He is allergic to other human beings.

Book preview

Resident Evil Legends Part Seven: Aftermath

By Andreas Leachim

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2016 Andreas Leachim

Cover art and design by Andreas Leachim

This is a work of fan fiction based on the Resident Evil video game series. All characters and names and related trademarks are the property of Capcom. The author of this work receives no financial compensation from it and does not seek to infringe upon Capcom’s copyrights in any way.

Chapter 1

The man seated at the large rectangular desk stared at the printed statement in front of him and ignored the crowd of people packed into his office. He was tall and thin, but not athletically so, with graying hair at his temples and soft, expressive gray eyes that had made him popular with the public. There were bags under those eyes now, and they were slightly bloodshot from being awake for so long. A team of makeup artists managed to hide the worst of it, making him appear appropriately photogenic, as the public expected him to be. But it had been a very long day and a longer night, and he could not hide his weariness. His hands trembled almost imperceptibly as he ran his finger along the edge of the papers.

Packed into the Oval Office were his family, his closest advisers and members of his Cabinet, several other high ranking officials of both parties, as well as technicians and the cameramen and the director. Two large television cameras dominated the center of the room, and at least half a dozen other photographers were standing in the background, ready to snap pictures at a moment’s notice. A select number of journalists, reporters, and other news writers were in the office as well, with tiny audio recorders hanging from their wrists and notebooks in their hands. And nearly invisible among them due to their omnipresence, were a small army of Secret Service agents.

He scanned the opening lines of the speech in front of him for the thousandth time. He didn’t really need it printed out, since it would be shown on the teleprompter for him to read, but it was good to have a copy on the desk as well, to give him something to do with his hands.

His wife, standing to the side of one of the cameras, forced a brave smile and nodded to him, their two young children there as well, completely ignorant of what was going on. They were used to standing around during these sort of meetings, but they were too young to understand the significance of what was about to happen. He tried to think about his children, wondering if someday they would look back on these events with the benefit of hindsight, and whether they would feel pride or disgust for their father in this defining moment.

And more importantly, how was the American public going to react? It was almost a foregone conclusion that this would effectively end his unfortunately short Administration, but the question remained as to just how quickly it would end. Would it end in the next election, or would it end this very day? Would it end in the voting booth, in a massive public protest, or would it possibly end with a bullet? The future was impossible to even guess. He was entering completely uncharted waters here, and trying to anticipate the public’s reaction to the events of the last 24 hours would be a futile effort.

There was no way to lessen the impact, no way to sugar coat it. To even attempt to soften the blow might as well be political suicide. He must face it head-on and bear the consequences. If the Administration was going to survive this catastrophe, he needed to stand and face the aftermath like a lone person standing up against a tidal wave.

Finally, he sighed and glanced at the director. He nodded silently and the director immediately signaled the cameraman, holding up his index finger to start the countdown.

The red light blinked on above the camera, indicating that they were now transmitting live all across the country, and in fact all over the world. The entire room was now focused solely on him, and he stared into the camera like a man facing a firing squad.

My fellow Americans, he said gravely, his voice quavering but resolute, I am here today to tell you something that no President has ever wanted to have to tell his country. The news I have is terrible and tragic, and although I am certain that we will face this event with the same strength and fortitude that has made this nation so great, I can only hope that the American people will come to understand the reasons that this tragedy took place.

He took a deep breath, glanced down at the papers in front of him, and felt as if he had lost his voice. But he continued, Early this morning, a nuclear weapon was launched and detonated over American soil. But this was not the act of an enemy nation or a terrorist organization, and it was not an accident or a mistake. It is my duty to inform you that … I am the one who authorized the use of that nuclear weapon. I cannot express in words how much it pains me to tell you this, but I ordered a nuclear weapon to be fired over an American city.

The words hung in the air like a cloud of poisonous gas. It was out in the open now, and there was no putting it back. He took another nervous breath and stared helplessly into the camera. His eyes, once the warm and gentle eyes that the public found comfort in, were now panicked and guilt-stricken, like the eyes of an accused man up against a corrupted jury. A confession such as this would have crippled him even in private, but he was making the announcement to the entire world. Millions of people were listening to him.

Two days ago, he said in a fragile monotone, a small town called Raccoon City was exposed to a highly contagious, extremely dangerous biological contaminant. There was an advanced medical laboratory in Raccoon City operated by the Umbrella Corporation, where they studied different diseases in the hopes of finding new cures and treatments. In their research, they studied mutated versions as well, and it was one such mutated version that somehow infected one of their employees. Exactly how this happened is unknown.

His hands trembled once more as he continued, feeling sweat drip down his back. This single employee unknowingly spread the disease into the city, where it very rapidly infected other people. It spread almost immediately through personal contact, and spread through the city at an exponential rate. Half the city was exposed to the disease within 24 hours.

The words on the teleprompter seemed to blur, so he glanced down at his papers, although he didn’t need to read them. Reading a prepared speech seemed pointless; he would be better off just saying what happened in his own words. He let go of the papers and fumbled with his hands, eventually managing to fold them in front of him.

This disease was … it was unlike anything that has ever been seen before. Less than 36 hours after someone is exposed to it, they become affected by the most … terrible symptoms. I cannot even describe it to you … but there are a few people who survived this epidemic, and their stories will horrify you. I have seen images of the infection, and believe me when I tell you that this disease is the most awful thing you would ever witness ...

He took a deep breath, and continued, Despite the best efforts of the local government in Raccoon City, and the brave sacrifices of hundreds of people in their attempts to halt the spread of the disease, all of Raccoon City soon became overrun with those who became infected. It was not possible to contain the spread of the disease any longer, because it spread too fast. Unless immediate, drastic action was taken, the disease threatened to spread outside the city limits of Raccoon City and possibly infect neighboring towns and cities.

His voice took on a desperate, pleading note, and he stared directly into the camera, as if trying to speak to every single viewer individually. If there had been any conceivable way to stop this disease from spreading farther, I promise that we would have tried it. But we had to take action, we had to do what had to be done, in order to protect the lives of thousands, if not millions, of more innocent victims. Any delay, any wasted time, could result in further death and suffering.

His wife was crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks, and his children stared at him in uncomprehending worry. The journalists and reporters stared in horror as the words sunk in, and his own advisers could not disguise their dismay and disbelief.

What I had to do will haunt me for the rest of my life, he said, his voice quavering. "I had to order the only possible solution, the only possible way to stop this disease from infecting more people. I ordered a nuclear missile to be dropped on Raccoon City. I could not make this decision without the most profound sadness, and even though I strongly believe it was the only possible course of action, I will never be able to erase the guilt I feel.

In the coming days and weeks, you will see for yourself the terrible devastation that this disease was capable of, and understand the impossible choice that I was faced with. I was forced to give an order than no one would ever want to give … but the alternative was worse.

His voice felt dry and he knew he could not speak for much longer without breaking down completely. But he continued, his voice growing weaker. "All I can do now is pray for the lives of the people who died, and beg for your understanding and your forgiveness. The American people are strong, and I know they will deal with this terrible tragedy with courage, and sympathy, and hope. This great nation will survive this catastrophe, and the memories of those we have lost will never be forgotten.

God Bless America, he whispered, his eyes welling over with tears. God Bless us all.

The camera’s light blinked out.

Chapter 2

Somehow, Jill Valentine managed to fall asleep. She dreamed that she was drowning in a choppy sea scattered with floating debris and decomposing bodies. As she tried to stay afloat, gagging on the foul water, something kept pulling her legs down to force her down. All the while the sky seemed to roar, deafening her.

She snapped out of it, lurching forward with a gasp, her hands grasping at her chest. Carlos Oliveira, seated in the pilot’s chair beside her, looked concerned but said nothing. Jill took a few deep breaths and slumped back in her seat. The load roaring in her dream was nothing but the sound of the helicopter.

Her head lolled to the side as she glanced out the window at the line of trees rushing by underneath them. They were still flying low over the Arklay Forest; Jill realized she must have only dozed off for a few minutes, if it was even that long. She sighed wearily, closing her eyes again, although she doubted she would drowse off again so soon.

You okay? Carlos asked.

Jill nodded.

She was lying, of course. She wasn’t okay. She was dead tired, half-starved, and her leg throbbed in pain every time she moved it. She was far from okay. But she was alive and on her way to someplace safe. Or at least she hoped so. Under the circumstances, she was doing fantastic.

You sure you’re okay? Carlos asked. You feel alright?

Yes, Jill said. I feel wonderful.

Okay. You just got real quiet all of a sudden. And you fell asleep, I think. I just got worried that … well, you know.

I’m fine, she said more clearly. Just tired. How about you?

It hurts to breath, Carlos said with a weak smile. Other than that I’m just great.

Carlos most likely had several broken ribs. At least, Jill hoped that’s all it was. If one of his ribs punctured an internal organ, he could be bleeding internally or be suffering from worse injuries. But Jill guessed that he would be in more pain if that was the case. Either way, they both needed medical attention as soon as possible. How they would get it might cause a problem, but Jill was prepared to have Carlos fly the helicopter straight to the nearest hospital if that’s what they had to do. Once they got out of the forest, would have a better idea of where they were.

She wondered if the local cities around Raccoon Cities had any idea at all about what was happening just a few miles away. Surely, they must know something was wrong, since Umbrella blocked all the roads into and out of the city.

Were the Raccoon City survivors being treated at local hospitals? Jill doubted it. Umbrella was probably shipping them off to distant locations for treatment to try to keep a lid on things. Jill knew there were other survivors. The Umbrella soldier named Hunk told her so, but he gave her no clue about exactly what was being done with them. They were probably being separated and interrogated to find out what they knew, and then tricked or coerced into believing whatever lies Umbrella was telling to spin this disaster in the best possible light.

How were they going to explain it all? How could they explain the destruction of an entire city and the deaths of almost all its residents? Jill tried to imagine what they were going to blame it on. A terrorist attack? Some kind of ecological disaster? A meltdown at a nuclear power plant, perhaps? Raccoon didn’t have a nuclear power plant, but Jill didn’t think facts like that would get in the way of Umbrella’s cover story.

In any case, she would soon find out.

She sighed again and glanced over at Carlos to say something, when she caught movement outside the helicopter, something black against the dark blue sky.

Carlos! she cried, pointing.

A blinding light began to flash outside, filling the cabin with light, and Carlos lifted his hand to shield his eyes. Jill fumbled at the control panel for the radio switch.

– immediately! the radio screamed when she found the switch. Do not attempt to escape! You will follow us to the landing zone! If you do not comply, we will shoot you out of the sky! Repeat, change your course immediately! Do not attempt to escape!

Carlos activated the radio on his flight helmet. Okay! Okay! he shouted. Fine, we’ll follow you! Don’t shoot us!

Jill looked around and saw that they were surrounded by other helicopters now, at least four of them flying in formation around them. And they weren’t simple commercial two-seaters like the one she was in, they were full attack choppers with mounted machine guns which were currently aimed at them.

Looks like they found us, she said, looking worriedly at the choppers. They came out of nowhere, and could have shot them down in an instant if they wanted to.

I told you the whole city was surrounded, Carlos said, moving the stick sideways to direct the helicopter in a new direction. They angled left and followed their escort of attack choppers.

The loud voice came over the radio again. Over the next ridge is a landing zone! You will land immediately once you reach the clearing! I repeat, if you try to escape we will shoot you down! Is that understood?

Yes, Carlos said, Yes, I understand.

So what happens now? Jill asked no one in particular.

We land, Carlos said, And we hope they don’t shoot us anyway.

The landing zone was marked with flares and flashlights, and Jill spotted people running around below. It was a wide clearing in the middle of the forest that appeared to run alongside a narrow dirt road. There were a few floodlights illuminating some tents by the trees but the middle of the clearing was dark except for the flares.

Carlos lowered the helicopter toward the clearing and let out a deep sigh of relief when they touched down, the helicopter bumping down roughly on the uneven ground. Dozens of shaking lights flashed in their direction and Jill squinted against the lights, her eyes still accustomed to the darkness. Carlos turned off the engine and the helicopter’s rotors began to slow.

The shaking lights were flashlights attached to the barrels of assault rifles. All around them, armed Umbrella soldiers aimed weapons, and Jill raised her hands just in case. Carlos took off his flight helmet and did the same.

Get out of the helicopter! someone bellowed with a megaphone. Come out and keep your hands in the air! If you make any sudden moves you will be shot!

Jill pushed open the side door and carefully swung her legs out, wincing in pain. She lowered herself to the ground as gently as possible and leaned against the side of the chopper. Dozens of assault rifles aimed at her, although the men wielding them were concealed, their black uniforms almost invisible in the dark. She felt as if she was surrounded by nothing but a bunch of independent floating lights. She tried to shield her eyes, but she could not even tell how many men there were.

Carlos got out as well and said, "I’m with the UBCF. I’m on